One held in copper theft probe

Police in East Holland have arrested a man who they think is responsible for a large scale copper theft operation.

The man was held in Arnhem on Tuesday, at the height of an investigation that was mounted in 2013 in response to a series of copper thefts at power stations. The Prosecutor’s Office in East Holland had appointed a special team of detectives to investigate the night time burglaries that aside from being costly, were also dangerous to electricity company workers.

“In case of a disruption in the supply of electricity, workers could not carry out the necessary repairs because equipment was missing. That exposed them to the danger of electrocution,” Police said in a press release. They stressed that while the danger existed, fortunately no one was ever injured.

The 41-year-old suspect who was arrested on Tuesday does not have one particular address. Police say they searched several buildings where he had lived in the past and confiscated several “things”, but declined to give more details on these. They say more arrests might follow. Officers are also investigating who has been fencing the stolen copper.